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Men's Soccer Opens Pac-10 Play Against Oregon State, Washington

This Week - The defending NCAA and Pac-10 champion UCLA men's soccer team (6-1-0, ranked No. 2 in the nation) will begin Pac-10 Conference play on the road in the Pacific Northwest. The Bruins will face 2002 NCAA participant Oregon State (6-3-0) on Friday, Oct. 3 at 3 pm at Lorenz Field. UCLA heads up to Seattle to face Washington (6-0-1, ranked No. 13 by the NSCAA and No. 12 by Soccer America) on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 2:30 pm at the Husky Soccer Stadium.

Scouting the Beavers - Oregon State is led by senior forward Alan Gordon, a first-team All-Pac-10 selection in 2002. Gordon leads the team this season with seven goals and 16 points. Freshman forward Robbie Findley is close behind Gordon on the scoring chart with six goals and 13 points. Goalkeeper Peter Billmeyer holds a goals against average of 1.29 with two shutouts.

The Series With OSU - UCLA leads the overall series with Oregon State, 9-2-0 and has won the last three contests. The Bruins swept the Beavers last season, winning 3-0 in Corvallis and 2-0 in LA. In the last game in LA, Adolfo Gregorio and Matt Taylor provided the scoring for the Bruins. Goalkeeper Zach Wells tied the school record in the road game with 11 saves.

Scouting the Huskies - Washington is off to a great start this season, moving up to 13th in the national rankings with a 6-0-1 record. The Huskies upset 11th-ranked South Carolina on Sunday, 3-0, behind a two-goal, one assist performance from Leo Totev. The sophomore midfielder leads the team with five goals and 12 points.

The Series With Washington - The series between UCLA and Washington is knotted up at 8-8-2. The Huskies won the last contest, 2-1 in double overtime at Drake Stadium on a 108th minute goal by C.J. Klaas. Cliff McKinley scored UCLA's goal in the second half. The Bruins won the first meeting between the two teams last season in Seattle, 1-0, UCLA's first road win against the Huskies since 1980.

Barrett Returns Home - On Friday, freshman Chad Barrett will become the last Bruin team member to play a game in his home state. The forward from Beaverton, Oregon is the only non-California player on the UCLA team and returns to play in his home state for the first time since starring for Southridge HS. Barrett was the Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year and totaled 69 goals, 41 assists and 179 points in his high school career. He has already made a huge impact in Westwood, leading the team in points scored with 17 and in assists with seven. Nationally, Barrett ranks third in assists per game and fourth in points per game (teammate Matt Taylor ranks first in goals per game with a 1.17 average). Barrett ranks second on the team in goals scored with five and has scored a goal or assisted on a goal in five of UCLA's seven games. He has contributed either a goal or an assist in 12 of 19 (63%) UCLA goals this year.

Last Week - UCLA earned its fourth consecutive shutout Saturday night, defeating local rival Loyola Marymount, 2-0. Freshman defender Kiel McClung, an honoree for the College Soccer News National Team of the Week, scored a rare first-half goal for UCLA, putting the Bruins ahead in the 21st minute with a rebound shot from a Harvey strike that hit the post. Chad Barrett scored an insurance goal in the 62nd minute.

Defense Clamps Down - The Bruin defense, labeled by College Soccer News as one of the Top 5 in the nation, has been impenetrable in the last four games and for most of the season. UCLA has allowed just three goals this year for a team goals against average of 0.43 and has shut out its opponents in the last 393 consecutive minutes and in the last four consecutive games. Just one goal, a penalty kick goal, has been allowed since the season's first game. Goalkeeper Zach Wells has four solo shutouts and a minuscule GAA of 0.30, fourth-lowest in the nation.

Gregorio, Lopez Named To M.A.C. Hermann Watch List - Senior midfielder Adolfo Gregorio and junior defensive midfielder Aaron Lopez have been selected to the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy 'Watch List' of players considered among the top candidates for the 2003 Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann trophy. Gregorio is a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 selection and a Soccer America pre-season All-American. Lopez was UCLA's Team MVP in 2002 and the Offensive MVP of the 2002 College Cup after scoring the game-winning goal with 1:02 remaining in the title match.